A strike by more than 300 paramedics and support staff with Essex-Windsor EMS has been averted.
The County of Essex and the union representing paramedics have reached a tentative agreement.
“Right now things are looking optimistic; we do have a verbal agreement between the parties,” says CUPE Local 2974 President James Jovanovic. The employer reached out to the union late yesterday afternoon. We kind of finalized some details throughout the night and came to an agreement kind of late into the evening." “It is tentative. We haven’t officially signed it, but there’s a verbal agreement that does constitute an official tentative agreement, so we just got to work out some minor details today. We’ll sign off, and then it will go to council on Wednesday for approval and to the membership for ratification.”
Jovanovic says it’s been a long process.
“It’s certainly been emotional for the members and for the bargaining committee,” says Jovanovic. “It’s good to see a deal that we can recommend for ratification. It’s not absolutely everything we were looking for, but they say the sign of a good deal is one where neither side is completely happy, but you can ultimately agree to it, and that’s where we’re at.”
The paramedics were set to strike as early as Friday morning after negotiations late last week ended without a deal.
Money and working conditions—including staffing levels—were among the key issues in the dispute.
No date has been set for the paramedics to vote on the tentative agreement.
In a statement, the County of Essex says County Council will consider the agreement Wednesday night.
The county is also recommending ratification.
County officials say the agreement would take effect retroactively to April 1, 2026, following the expiry of the previous collective agreement.